


gold and rubies

by LaLionne (otayuriistheliteralbest)



Series: Drarropoly 2019 [6]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Auror Draco Malfoy, Auror Harry Potter, Drarropoly 2.0 - A Drarry Game/Fest, Drarry, Established Relationship, Fluff and Humor, Harry Potter Epilogue What Epilogue | EWE, Idiots in Love, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Misunderstandings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-29
Updated: 2019-11-29
Packaged: 2021-02-26 00:27:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,856
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21604495
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/otayuriistheliteralbest/pseuds/LaLionne
Summary: Draco wasn’t sure when it started happening. He and Harry had been Auror partners for the last five years, and he usually was pretty quick on the uptake, but wherever Harry was concerned, things started to get a little fuzzy. It didn’t help that they had started dating two years previous, and Draco was starting to think about the next steps of their relationship, something that left him quick of breath on more than one occasion. So when Harry started cozying up to him more than usual, he noticed.
Relationships: Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter
Series: Drarropoly 2019 [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1545736
Comments: 3
Kudos: 181
Collections: Drarropoly 2.0 - A Drarry Game/Fest





	gold and rubies

**Author's Note:**

> Writing this, I cried twice (for good reasons!). Enjoy the ridiculousness and fluff!
> 
> My Prompt: Harry and Draco have been Auror partners for 5 years. Harry has been given the task of 1) investigating Draco -OR- 2) finding a gift for Draco's birthday. Minimum: 499 words - Maximum: 709 words.  
> House Prompt: Write from the POV of Draco. Maximum: 2099 words.  
> Hotel Prompt: The easy thing to do would be write option (1) as angst or option (2) as fluff. For hotel points, write option (1) as pure fluff/crack or option (2) as pure angst. Minimum: 3709 - Maximum: 4999 words.
> 
> Bonus Prompt: K7) Someone takes a potion for questionable reasons.

Draco wasn’t sure when it started happening. He and Harry had been Auror partners for the last five years, and he usually was pretty quick on the uptake, but wherever Harry was concerned, things started to get a little fuzzy. It didn’t help that they had started dating two years previous, and Draco was starting to think about the next steps of their relationship, something that left him quick of breath on more than one occasion. So when Harry started cozying up to him more than usual, he noticed.

They lived together and worked together, so often, Harry and Draco would find things to do outside of those times to hang out with their friends or do other things. Any time Draco wanted to go to the jewellery display outside of Twilfitt and Tatting's on his breaks from work, Harry had suddenly decided that he needed to go shopping, too, and why didn’t they just go together? It was starting to give Draco a headache, and finally he reached out to Hermione Granger-Weasley to help him.

_ Dear Hermione, _

_ For the love of my sanity, can you whisk Harry away for something all day on Saturday next? He’s driving me absolutely mad right now, wanting to do everything together, and I’m working on something secret for him that I really don’t want him to find out about the wrong way. I would appreciate it so much, and will be forever in your debt. _

_ Draco _

Her owl was back to him not even half a day later telling him that she would try her best, and really, that was all that he could possibly ask for. He loved Harry, he really did, but he wanted this to be a surprise.

Friday night rolled around, and Draco and Harry were curled up on the couch in their living room. Draco sat against the arm of the couch, his legs stretched out, while Harry was curled up in his lap and using Draco’s lap as a pillow. Draco’s reading glasses were perched on his nose as he read Symbols in Eternity: Hidden Runes Through the Ages. Harry was the only one who knew that Draco needed reading glasses,  _ and it would stay that way, thank you very much, Harry Potter. _ Draco peeked down at Harry around the edge of his book, smiling warmly at the sight of Harry wrapped around him.

Draco went back to his book, attempting to appear calm as he asked, “So, do you have any plans for tomorrow, Harry?”

Harry stirred slightly, yawning.

“‘m sorry, what did you say?”

Draco rolled his eyes to himself. Of course the silly git had fallen asleep.

“I asked if you have any plans for tomorrow.”

He kept the book up, hiding his face from Harry in case it gave anything away to his far-too-astute partner.

“Oh, that. ‘Mione and Ron invited me over for a Golden Trio thing. I think they miss when we lived together and hung out all the time. D’you mind? I’d be gone most of the day. I can always cancel, if you want to do something together?”

Draco took the book out of his face to look down at Harry, who had an unreadable expression on his face.

“No, no, go have fun with Hermione and Weasley, I was planning to get some much-needed reading in tomorrow, and I could do without you clomping around all day.”

He grinned cheekily, brushing the arch of Harry’s nose with his finger and tapping the tip of it. Harry was still making that odd face, but he finally shrugged lightly and snuggled back in.

“Okay, I’ll phone ‘Mione and let her know I’ll be over there.”

The next day, Draco had stuck to his impression that he was staying in reading. He had his pot of tea on the coffee table next to him, a small pile of books to choose from, and was wrapped in a warm throw blanket. If he didn’t have other plans, he absolutely would have stayed cozy on the couch all day, and he was hard-pressed to want to leave.

Harry was in a rush to get out the door, and dashed over to Draco to press a kiss against his forehead in goodbye.

“Have fun reading all day, Mr. Grump,” Harry said.

Draco play-swatted at Harry’s arse with the book.

“I will. Just you wait, I’ll still be in this exact spot when you come back.”

Harry wiggled his fingers in a wave as he walked out of the room, and Draco decided to wait a half hour after Harry left to head out, just to be sure that he didn’t rush home, having forgotten something. Draco went into the kitchen cupboard, twisting the dials to open the door to their stash of potions. They were all meticulously labeled, brewed especially by Draco himself for when they needed to get around without raising suspicions. He technically was only supposed to use them for Ministry-related tasks, since the potions ingredients were provided by the Ministry, but he didn’t think they would mind  _ one _ missing vial out of hundreds. Draco checked the label on a thin glass vial and nodded to himself, pocketing it to take when he was ready to leave.

Draco looked over his appearance in the mirror and made a few adjustments to his clothing with his wand to make sure that it was different enough from his usual clothing style that no one would suspect it was him. The last thing he wanted was for one of their friends to go blabbing to Harry that Draco had been ring shopping. Even worse still, if one of the supposed “reporters” at the Daily Prophet saw him. He assessed his clothing with a critical eye and nodded to himself. His robes still looked expensive, with rich fabrics draped expertly over his tightly-muscled frame, but they were a shade of deep red that he would never be caught dead wearing, with extra flairs and loops of fabrics that he had seen crop up in the last few years. 

Draco pulled the stoppered vial from his cloak pocket, checking the label one last time to be sure, and drank. He felt his facial features shift, his high cheekbones lowering, becoming less defined, while his jaw broadened. Draco’s loose blond hair grew longer, fuller, and shifted to a deep chocolate brown tone. Draco pulled the curly brown hair back with a black ribbon, tying a perfect bow without looking. He gave himself one last look-over in the mirror, and he thought he had done a rather good job. He nodded to his reflection in the mirror and waved it away. 

He strode over to the fireplace and took out a pinch of Floo powder, throwing it into the crackling fireplace and calling out his destination.

The interior of Twilfitt and Tatting's was exactly as he remembered it when he was little, holding onto his mother’s robes and sucking on his little thumb. Everything was opulent and beautiful, and they not only had lusciously rich clothing available made to custom order, but half of their storefront was filled with cases upon cases of jewellery displays for all occasions. Draco very quickly got overwhelmed with the choices. There seemed to be so many little differences from ring to ring, and he was about ready to give up and go home to his cozy book reading, when the voice of one of the proprietors rang out behind him.

“Can I help you with something, sir?”

Draco recognized the toddering old man, Mr. Twilfitt, from when he was little. He had seemed just as old and shaky then as he did now, but yet created some of the most beautiful jewellery Draco had ever seen.

“Hello, I’m looking for— for an engagement ring.”

The old man’s eyes lit up, and he clapped his hands together.

“Well, then, I can help you right out with that. Is it for a woman or a man?”

“A man,” Draco said, the knot in his throat rising. He let out a shaky breath and smiled to Mr. Twilfitt. “Sorry, I’m a bit nervous. I’ve been thinking about this for a very long time.”

“I remember those days. Not to worry, young man, we shall find the perfect ring for your man. Now, tell me about him so I can get an idea of just what he would like.”

Mr. Twilfitt patted Draco on the hand. He motioned to the seat set in front of the jewellery cases, wordlessly telling the disguised Draco to sit down. Draco took the offered seat, folding his hands neatly in his lap.

“Har— he’s very loyal, sometimes to a fault, and if he sets his mind to something, he can be the most stubborn git I know. But he is loving and kind, and he’s the one I want to come home to for the rest of my life. I—” Draco was surprised to feel tears pricking at his eyes. He wiped them hurriedly away, giving Mr. Twilfitt an embarrassed smile. “Sorry, I don’t know where that came from.”

The jeweller smiled knowingly at Draco. “My dear boy, there is nothing to be ashamed of in true love.” Mr. Twilfitt plucked his wand out of its holster on his arm, waving it to pull out a variety of display pieces from around the room. He settled five small boxes in front of them, each with their own distinct style. “Now, what do you think of these beauties?”

The first one was much too ornate, and Draco knew instantly that Harry would never wear it. Mr. Twilfitt waved it away, as well as two of the others, until Draco just had two options sitting in front of him. One was a gold band studded with deep-set rubies, the other containing stripes of deepest red and a pure white that Mr. Twilfitt informed him were from a shed unicorn horn. Draco bit his lip, glancing back and forth between the two rings, before settling on the ruby-encrusted ring. Mr. Twilfitt named a price that Draco simply nodded his head at, unsurprised and fully capable of paying it.

“He will love it, I’m sure,” Mr. Twilfitt was telling Draco. “Now, some important things to know about all of my one-of-a-kind pieces. First of all, I have set spells of protection on all of my pieces, so that they will not catch, break, or cause injuries to their wearer in daily use. They are also protected against damage, dust, and tarnishing. Should you see anything of the sort, come to me immediately and I will examine the piece. Additionally, the ring will automatically resize itself to the wearer’s ring size. You have a lifetime warranty on this ring, so should anything happen to it, again, please come see me immediately.”

Draco smiled warmly at Mr. Twilfitt, watching as he packaged the ring, a promise to himself and to Harry, and handed it to Draco.

“I wish you the best in your life, and should you need a band for yourself to match it, I do hope that you will return to select one of my fine pieces for yourself as well, sir.

They shook hands at the entrance to the store, and Draco smiled warmly at the old man. His heart and mind felt feather-light, and he couldn’t wait to see Harry’s face when presented with the ring. Then a tightness filled his chest. Draco was so focused on getting the ring that he had never even thought about the next step, and actually planning how he was going to propose to him. Draco bit his lip and decided that he could save that decision for another day. First, he wanted to get home and snuggle back into the couch with his books and tea.

Draco hurriedly switched out of his disguise when he returned to the flat, transfiguring his robes back into what he had been wearing that morning, the potion slowly seeping out of his system. He went into his potions room to clean the empty vial for reuse and got back to what he had told Harry he would be doing all morning after casting a quick Warming charm on his long-forgotten tea. The ring in its box sat heavily against his side, a promise and a reminder of what was to come.

The next few weeks were nerve-wracking for Draco. He’d found Harry rifling through his potions cabinet, his sock drawer, even his bookcase. When he questioned Harry, he said he’d lost something or was looking for a book to read. Draco kept the ring box on him at all times, afraid that Harry might stumble across it.

Things were tense at the office, too, Draco noticed. It perplexed him, but he noticed on more than one occasion that Head Auror Robards would stop and stare at him. It was uncanny, and he told Harry as much. Harry laughed uncomfortably.

“I’m sure it’s nothing, Draco. You’re just imagining things.”

Draco raised an eyebrow but didn’t say anything; it was clear to him that something was going on, but he just couldn’t figure out what on Earth it could be, so unless whatever it was presented itself to him, he would leave it alone for the time being. His and Harry’s caseload was pretty light at the moment, something that he normally would have been frustrated over, but since he was having an almost impossible time trying to come up with just the right way to propose to Harry, he took advantage of the long stretches of time when he could just sit in their office and think while pretending to read the reports in his inbox. Draco fiddled with the box in his pocket. It had become a subconscious habit every time he was thinking about proposing to Harry. It calmed him, feeling the box sitting there, just waiting for him to find the right moment.

He and Harry went out to meals in Diagon Alley, and Draco kept an eye out for anything that might inspire him. Draco finally broke down one day when he was out to lunch with Pansy at a Muggle fish and chips shop. They sat on high barstools, looking out the window at passersby on the street. 

He bit into one of his chips thoughtfully and spoke without preamble.

“I’m going to ask Harry to marry me.”

He heard a  _ thump _ as Pansy’s wrapped fish fell to the counter. He looked over and found her staring at him.

“Seriously?” He nodded, unsure of her reaction, and she blinked twice at him, then picked her fallen fish back up. “Honestly, it’s about fucking time, darling, I didn’t think either of you would ever find the balls to start dating, let alone tying the knot.”

Draco snorted inelegantly at his best friend. “Thank you ever so, Pansy dearest.”

“So, did you get the ring yet? Any plans on how you’re going to do it?”

Draco squirmed a little. No one else had seen the ring yet, and he was nervous to show it to Pansy so publicly. He glanced around, but there was no one on the street watching them, and so he pulled the ring box out of his pocket and flicked open the lid to show it to Pansy.

“Oooh, very pretty. I’m sure his little Gryffindor heart will love it.”

Draco stowed the ring box quickly once more and got back to eating his fish and chips.

“I just have no clue how I’m going to do it, Pans. I’ve been thinking about it for weeks now, and I’ve drawn an absolute blank.”

“Honestly, babe, anything you do will be just perfect. But if you really want to make it romantic, why not go on a walk around Holland Park? It’s beautiful, there are waterfalls, all that mushy shit people love.”

Draco’s eyes lit up.

“Pans, I could kiss you right now,” he proclaimed.

Pansy scooted her stool away from him. “Please don’t. Save that for Potter when he says yes.”

Draco finished off his food and threw away the newspaper. A quietly-murmured Cleansing spell took away the grease from his hands and mouth. Pansy followed suit, and when she had finished cleaning her hands he held out his arm to her.

“Care to take a stroll in Holland Park with me, Pansy dearest?”

Pansy rolled her eyes at him but looped her arm in his and they headed out to the park to scope it out.

* * *

A week later, Draco was sweating and nervous in his carefully-tailored silver-grey dress robes, a mix of Muggle and Wizarding fashion that he hoped would be enough to get away with in Muggle London. He had sent an owl to Harry with a small note saying to dress nicely and meet him in the Kyoto Gardens of Holland Park. They had never been there together before, and he hoped that the directions would be clear enough for Harry. Draco stood on the stone path that surrounded the little ponds. A few carefully-placed Muggle Repelling Charms were all that he had needed to clear the area so that he and Harry could be alone together. He was shaking, nervous about what he was about to do. Draco paced back and forth before the water, occasionally stopping to watch the fish swimming through the water, or to listen to the cascading waterfall.

Finally, he heard the tell-tale tapping of Harry’s boots on the pathway, and he turned, trying to hide his nerves behind a smile. He hoped he succeeded. Harry stood braced, stiff. Draco wasn’t sure what to make of it, but when Harry met him on the cobbled path, Draco wrapped his arms around him in a tight embrace. He then grabbed Harry by the hand and they walked around the little pond while they talked.

“There you are, Harry. I was wondering if my owl had gone astray.”

“No, nothing like that,” Harry replied. “Robards wanted to talk to me in his office, and you know how the man is.”

“You mean jumpy and prone to Moody-like levels of paranoia?”

“Yeah, pretty much.” Harry then narrowed his eyes at Draco, much to his confusion. “So I noticed the Muggle-Repelling Charms. Any particular reason why you wanted them to be away from here?”

Draco swallowed hard and tried to keep his voice as light and airy as he could.

“No particular reason, I just wanted to have a little alone time with you in this part of the park. Well, as alone as you can be with peacocks strutting around the grounds,” he said with a grin, pointing out the pair of peacocks walking closely beside them. “I wanted to show you something, and it’s so calm and beautiful here, I just thought it was the perfect place. Come with me?”

Draco was starting to get nervous, and he was so sure that Harry was going to pull away in that moment. He just hoped that Harry wouldn’t notice how sweaty his palm had become.

“Er, sure?”

Draco rolled his eyes. 

“You’re acting like I’m about to push you into the pond. Which, for the record, I’m not about to do,” he added quickly, as Harry’s eyes darted to the surface of the pond. Draco laughed and pulled Harry toward the large stone slabs that crossed the pond closest to the waterfall. The constant rush of the water filled Draco’s ears and calmed the traitorously loud thumping of his heart in his chest. He stuck his hand in the pocket holding the ring box, steadying himself mentally. He brought them to the center slab and turned to face Harry, his stomach churning. Draco smiled nervously and let out a quick breath.

“Everything okay, Draco?” Harry asked, uncertainty clear on his face and in his voice.

“Yes, everything’s fine. Just perfect,” Draco said peppily, and it was clear that Harry didn’t believe a word he said. “Okay, let’s do this.” 

Draco grabbed both of Harry’s hands in his as he looked up into Harry’s eyes, everything in his body tuned into this precise moment. 

“Harry Potter, you have to be both the worst and best thing that ever happened to me. We’ve been through so much together, so many highs and lows, duels, war, and then by chance, we were brought back together again as Auror partners, and then more. You have been a steady presence in my life, and I want nothing more than for us to be that for each other forever.” Draco let go of Harry’s hands and pulled the ring box out of his dress robes, kneeling and opening the box. “Would you, Harry Potter, do me the very great honor of marrying me?”

Harry was frozen with his mouth open, rooted to the spot as his eyes flickered from the ring in Draco’s hands to Draco’s eyes and back again.

“...Is this why you’ve been sneaking around the past few months?”

That was not the response that Draco was expecting to receive.

“I— What?”

“Is this why you’ve been all secretive and weird?”

“Er— Yeah, what else would I have been doing?”

Harry rubbed his face with both hands, displacing his glasses as he rubbed his eyes. “Robards thought you were doing something unsavoury and told me to track you and report back to him. But all this time, you were—”

“While I really very much want to get back to this topic in a moment, this isn’t a comfortable position to stay in for long, Harry.” Draco was biting the side of his cheek, so nervous about what was to come next. If Harry said no—

_ “Oh, _ right,” Harry exclaimed, smacking himself on the side of the head. “Yes, of course, yes, Draco. Of course I want to marry you.” Tears were falling down Harry’s face as he held out his left hand to Draco, who rushed to pull the ring out of the box and slipped it onto Harry’s finger, smiling up at him. They watched, fascinated, as the ring slowly shrunk to fit on Harry’s finger. Then Harry lifted Draco up into a kiss, lifting him up to spin in his excitement and very nearly toppling them into the water like Draco had joked about before. Harry huffed out a laugh and set Draco down to admire his ring once more. 

“Merlin, I can’t wait to let Robards know that he was right. You  _ were _ up to something. Just not what he was expecting.”

“I’ll definitely be interested to sit in on that conversation. I haven’t seen Robards squirm in a while, and I could use a laugh.”

Draco wrapped his arms around Harry’s waist and pressed a gentle kiss to his lips. Draco’s soft smile wavered slightly as silent tears fell from his eyes.

“We’re getting married,” Draco said in an awed whisper.

Harry broke out in a laugh.

“Merlin, yes, we’re getting married.”

They didn’t leave the park until the Muggle-Repelling Charms had worn off and they started getting catcalled by strangers. Fingers twined together, they rushed through the park to the Apparition point, laughing.

**Author's Note:**

> Want to join the event? Head over to the [Drarropoly Tumblr page](https://gameofdrarry.tumblr.com/) to check it out!


End file.
